Sound of Sirens

Sound of Sirens Tales of Skylge, Book 1 by Jen Minkman

Publisher: Dutch Venture Publishing

November 2014

Pages: 114

Fantasy, Romance

For the island of Skylge only the Currents, the rich ruling class, get electricity.  The Currents came from across the sea, and when they did they brought the holy fire of St. Brandan with them.  Since then the light that is in the Brandaris Tower is what protects all the islanders.  Because if they heed the Siren’s call they will drown and the Sirens will have their souls.  The sacred light in the tower keeps the merfolk away. 

Enna is a Skylger girl that welcomes her brother back from his long sea voyage.  He brings her a very special present from the mainland.  An electronic record that can only be played on a Current devise.  Royce Bolton is a Current heartthrob and a gifted pianist and he wants the record too which causes a problem.  Enna refuses to sell the LP that features his favorite artist so he suggests that they share the record by meeting secretly at his private summer home.  Not expecting it Enna is thrilled and agrees.  She also discovers there is a lot more to both Current society and the history of Skylge.  She ends up questioning why the Sirens tempt the islanders to give themselves to the sea and also where the Currents’ monopoly on electricity really comes from.

As she struggles to find the answers to the questions, Enna finds herself falling for Royce.  She also risks everything to be with a guy that couldn’t be more wrong for her.  Enna ends up learning that the sounds of the Sirens isn’t the most treacherous thing around that haunts her dreams.

This is a very different type of story that makes for a fascinating read.  It makes for a story that stands out from other fantasy romances that are out there.  The characters are interesting and complex and makes for a story that proves to be a fast read as the reader gets pulled in and isn’t released until the very end.  It is also the start of a series that will have reader wondering just how the series will turn out.  It has romance and a mystery that makes for an enjoyable read.  This is one series that is worth checking out.

I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

LRH

Dark Perceptions

Dark Perceptions by Debra Kristi

Publisher: Ghost Girl Publishing

November 2014

Pages: 63

Contemporary, Paranormal Romance

Sara remembers a night out with her boyfriend, Matt laying out under the dark night’s sky.  The next thing she knows is somehow she is seated with a crowd under the Big Top with no idea how she got there.  She also has no idea of when she got there either.  She doesn’t stick around to find out.  Sara and Matt run either because of basic fear or because of the hideous, scary clowns.  They run beyond the tent walls deep into the carnival.  What they find is the dark alleys of the carnivals that changes their whole idea of thrill rides, fun zones and date nights.  The fear is enough to eat them alive but they refuse to let it define them and they confront those fears.  They end up finding that perceptions can be very misleading and that some monsters have claws you never see coming until too late.

This is a story that takes the reader on as much of a ride as the characters find at the carnival.  Just as the reader thinks they know what is going on a new twist is thrown at them that will have them second guessing just what is going on.  This story is part of a series that will have readers wanting to get the others just to see exactly where this one will take them.  It ends with a cliffhanger that works well with the overall story.  The reader finds out more of what is going on at the same time that the characters do so it makes the reader feel like they are a part of the story.  It is an interesting premise and will be interesting to see just where this series will end.

I give this one 4 red roses

LRH

The Hunk Next Door

The Hunk Next Door by Debra Webb and Regan Black

Publisher: Harlequin

November 2014

ISBN: 978-0-373-69795-3

Pages: 218

Contemporary, Romantic Suspense

Belclare, Maryland

While the town is celebrating the season of hope it seems someone isn’t enjoying the season and is out for blood.  Abigail Jensen is the police chief and she is determined to keep her town safe from harm.  She is also trying to avoid falling too hard for the new guy next door, Riley.  Abigail has to decide who she can trust because trusting the wrong person, especially someone with deep secrets, can be deadly.

Riley O’Brien is an agent with the CIA’s covert Specialist task force and he is on a mission.  He needs to protect a small-town cop from a terrorist.  No matter what.  He has traded his identity for an undercover guise.  Riley is a handyman which is all part of the plan.  What isn’t part of the plan is getting too close to Abigail on both a personal and passionate level. 

This is a great romantic suspense story that starts out fast and doesn’t stop until the very end.  The characters are complex and interesting and make for a story that is hard to put down.  As the clues and story unfold it makes for a story that pulls readers in and they try to figure out just what everyone’s angle is and who can be trusted.  The reader never knows what will happen next and how everything will turn out.  This is the start of a spin off series that will have readers that haven’t read the original series wanting to read that and also want to read the other books in this series.  This is a different romantic suspense series that makes for a read that is hard to forget even when the reader is done with the book.

I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

LRH

A Beautiful Dark

A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies

Publisher: Harper Teen

August 2012

ISBN: 978-0-06-199066-3

Pages: 390

Contemporary, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult

Colorado

The night that Skye turns seventeen she meets two very different and enigmatic strangers.  Their appearance in her life also manages to send it into a tail spin.  Asher is dark and wild and Devin is his complete opposite being fair and aloof.  The only thing Skye knows about them is that their presence seems to coincide with several strange events that are happening.  She doesn’t know what they want from her or why they seem to follow her everywhere.

Skye ends up discovering a secret in the dead of a bitingly cold Colorado winter night.  A secret that threatens to shatter the world she has always known.  She is falling for Asher and yet can’t seem to stay away from Devin which is tearing her apart.  What she soon finds out is that her choice will end up reaching farther than the three of them could begin to imagine. 

This is the start of a series that starts out fast and pulls the reader into the story without letting go even after the last page is reached.  The characters are well written and intriguing.  The story slowly unfolds in such a way that it makes it very hard to put the book down until the reader finds out what is exactly going on.  While it ends on a cliffhanger it proves to work with the story line and will have readers eagerly wanting to read the next book in the series.  The story also takes some great twists and turns to keep the reader on the edge of their seats.  This is one book worth checking out.  It is also a book that while it seems to be lengthy once the readers starts they will find that they quickly reach the end long before they are ready too. 

I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

LRH

An Heiress for All Seasons

An Heiress for All Seasons by Sophie Jordan

Publisher: Avon Impulse

November 2014

ISBN: 978-0-06-236364-0

Pages: 144

Historical, Holiday, Romance

England

Violet Howard is feisty and independent and she is also an American heiress who is determined to never wed a crusty British Aristocrat.  Will is the Earl of Merlton who is determined to save his family and salvages the family fortune without having to have a marriage of convenience. 

Suddenly a snow storm leaves Violet and Will alone and stranded.  It also brings out the chemistry they feel for each other and that will challenge all their good intentions. When their desires end up burning too hot they end up tossing their reservations aside in favor of the heat they find in each other’s arms. 

Now a holiday blizzard has brought them together and it also threatens their reputations.  It also just might cost them their hearts in the process.  Now they have to decide if their passion will survive past the storm.  They also have to decide if the love they have found together is enough to last them through all seasons.

This is a great novella that is sure to put readers into the spirit of the holidays.  It is at a length that is sure to give readers a much needed break during their holiday preparations.  For such a short story it packs a lot of heart and warmth in just a few pages.  This is one book that will prove to be a favorite to read especially at the holiday seasons.  The characters are well written and carry the story very well. This is part of a series but can be read as a standalone though it will have readers wanting to read the first book in the series. 

I give this one 4-1/2 red roses

LRH

Storm

Storm by Brigid Kemmerer

Publisher: Kensington Teen

May 2012

ISBN: 978-0-7582-7281-2

Pages: 353

Contemporary, Paranormal, Young Adult

Annapolis, Maryland

Becca Chandler is finding herself getting all the guys especially the ones she doesn’t want.  It started when her ex-boyfriend spread lies about her.

Then Becca finds Chris Merrick getting a beating and manages to save him.  Chris is different.  More different than she could possibly imagine.  He can control water just like his brothers that can control wind, fire, and earth.  The brothers are powerful and dangerous.  They are also marked for death. 

Now that Becca knows the truth she is also marked for death.

When your life is at stake keeping secrets becomes a lot more difficult.  Then a mysterious new kid turns up around the school and seems to have a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time.  Becca thinks she can trust Hunter because of that.  When Hunter and Chris go head-to-head Becca has to wonder who is hiding the most dangerous truth. 

This is a fast place story that keeps up until the very end.  It gives a twist to the paranormal genre that proves to be all its own.  The reader will find themselves sucked into a story that is different from other paranormal stories and proves to be very engrossing.  The characters are fascinating and watching how they are dealing with their lives and the tragedies that have happening in each of their lives proves to be a story that the reader gets lost in as they read to see just what will happen to each and every character.  This is the first book in a series that if the others are like this one will be one series that will have readers wanting to re-read it over and over. 

I give this one 5 red roses

LRH

Christmas at Twilight

Christmas at Twilight by Lori Wilde

Publisher: Avon

October 2014

ISBN: 978-0-06-231024-8

Pages: 384

Contemporary, Romance

Twilight, Texas

Christmas in Twilight means the Cookie Club is baking and the town is decorated. 

“Hutch” Hutchinson is a Delta Force Operator that has come home albeit very reluctantly. Finally returning home only to get pepper sprayed by a stranger who’s taken over his house, a stranger who is very delicious looking.  Jane immediately sets down some ground rules the top one being no touching.  Hutch might have been wounded in action but at least one part is working very well and that makes for a situation that is not easy to handle.

Then Hutch learns the truth about Jane.  She is harboring some frightening secrets.  Namely that she is really Meredith Sommers and is on the run from a dangerous ex-husband.  She also desperately needs the safety that Hutch can provide. That is the moment that he vows he will do everything in his power to keep her safe.  With Christmas approaching they are learning that the love they share has the power to overcome any obstacle in their path and it can also conquer their pasts. It also just leaves one question and that what is the price they will be forced to pay for that love.

This is another great book set in the town of Twilight.  It gives readers another glimpse is a town that has some great characters and proves that while small towns everyone can know everybody else’s business when it really counts they are very warm and welcoming and will always help their own.  It will also leave readers wishing they could visit Twilight during the Christmas season to enjoy all the fun that is possible.  It also gives readers another chance to check up with some other characters and see what is happening with them.  This proves to be a heartwarming story that is sure to put readers in the mood for the holidays.  It will also be one book that readers will enjoy re-reading over and over and not just for the holidays. 

I give this one 5 red roses

LRH